IT'S a Christmas cracker! The Chronicle/Salvation Army Toy Appeal has once again been a massive success thanks to the support of our readers and the wonderful volunteers who work on the appeal.

A huge thank-you goes to everyone who has helped brighten up the lives of hundreds of families across South Cheshire this festive season with their generous donations and priceless help.

Local businesses, schools, churches, volunteers, not to mention all the Chronicle read-ers across Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach who have given so kindly, have all rallied round to make sure the yuletide spirit touches even the neediest in our communities.

After months of collecting, sorting, packing and labelling thousands of toys and food items, the last of more than 900

Santa sacks and 650-plus food parcels were handed out at the Salvation Army Citadel, Prince Albert Street last week.

Even though they had already done more than their fair share, the Salvation Army's dedicated team of volunteers were still working their socks off making sure all the stockings and parcels were ready in time for collections to start on Thursday.

Bags of toys, colour-coded for children of different ages, filled the Citadel's main hall to bursting, while two more rooms were stacked to the brim with plastic carriers full of selection boxes, tins and biscuits.

Before the first grateful recipients arrived to collect their gifts, appeal co-ordinator Heather Newton gathered her team around her to say a prayer of thanks for yet another year of heart-warming success.

She said: 'I just want to say a big thank-you to everyone who has done so much again this year.

'I hope everyone feels all the hard work has been worthwhile bringing a little Christmas spirit to the people who need it most.'

Heather's mother Sybil Perry, who this year handed over the reins of the appeal to her daughter after more than 30 years co-ordinating it, was delighted with how it had turned out.

She said: 'It has all come together tremendously this year.

'For someone who is supposed to be retired I must have put in about 300 hours' work myself.

'It is just so fulfilling to know we are helping so many people.'

Volunteer Shirley Newton was full of praise for how the people of South Cheshire had responded to the appeal after a year of unusually high demand on people's generosity.

She said: 'This has been an extraordinary year.

'I don't think I can remember a year when there's been so many high-profile natural disasters and crises around the world.

'But it just goes to show, people give and give and give

until it hurts and they can still find the generosity to help those who need help on their own doorstep.'

Once the doors were opened for parcels to be collected on Thursday morning, it was all hands to the pump as the mammoth task of shifting the hundreds of bags and parcels began.

Chronicle reporter Paul Newham pitched in to lend a hand with the parcels and with carrying bags of tins to waiting cars.

He said: 'When you see all the toy parcels and bags of food stacked up like that, it really brings it home just what a tremendous effort everyone has put in.

'Congratulations and a massive thank-you to everyone. Let's have more of the same next year.'